Gurnee, Illinois

{{For|people with the surname|Gurnee (surname)}} {{Use American English|date=January 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Gurnee, Illinois | settlement_type = Village | image_skyline = {{multiple image | total_width = 250 | border = infobox | perrow = 1/1 | caption_align = center | image2 = Columbia Carousel - May 2026.jpg | caption2 = Six Flags Great America | image3 = Gurnee_Mills_wide.jpg | caption3 = Gurnee Mills }} | image_caption = | image_flag = | image_seal = | image_blank_emblem = Gurnee Logo.png | blank_emblem_type = Logo | motto = "Community of Opportunity" | image_map = File:Lake County Illinois Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Gurnee Highlighted.svg | mapsize = | map_caption = Location of Gurnee in Lake County, Illinois. | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = United States | subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = Illinois | subdivision_type2 = County | subdivision_name2 = Lake | subdivision_type3 = Township | subdivision_type4 =  | established_title = Founded | established_date = 1928 | founder = | named_for = Walter S. Gurnee | government_footnotes = | government_type = | governing_body = | leader_party = | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name =  | unit_pref = Imperial | area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_17.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 15, 2022}}</ref> | area_total_km2 = 35.18 | area_total_sq_mi = 13.59 | area_land_km2 = 34.99 | area_land_sq_mi = 13.51 | area_water_km2 = 0.20 | area_water_sq_mi = 0.08 | population_total = 30706 | population_as_of = 2020 | population_footnotes = | population_density_km2 = 877.62 | population_density_sq_mi = 2273.00 | timezone = CST | utc_offset = −6 | timezone_DST = CDT | utc_offset_DST = −5 | elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/> | elevation_ft = 715 | coordinates = {{coord|42|22|40|N|87|58|20|W|display=inline,title}} | coordinates_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/> | postal_code_type = ZIP code | postal_code = 60031 | area_codes = 224, 847 | area_code_type = | blank_name = FIPS code | blank_info = 17-32018 | blank1_name = GNIS feature ID | blank1_info = 2398219<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2398219}}</ref> | website = {{URL|www.gurnee.il.us}} | footnotes = }} '''Gurnee''' ({{IPAc-en|g|ər|ˈ|n|iː}} {{respell|ghər|NEE}}) is a village in Lake County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, its population was 30,706. Located in the Chicago metropolitan area, it borders the city of Waukegan. It is roughly {{Convert|40|mi|km}} north of Chicago and {{Convert|50|mi|km}} south of Milwaukee. The village was founded in 1928 and is named after former Chicago mayor Walter S. Gurnee.

The village is a major regional tourist attraction, home to the Six Flags Great America and Hurricane Harbor Chicago amusement park and water park complex, the Gurnee Mills shopping mall, and the Great Wolf Lodge resort. As a result, the village attracts more than 23 million visitors annually, accessible via Interstate 94, which runs directly through the village.

==History== Early settlers in the Gurnee area came by foot horseback and by "Prairie Schooners" drawn by oxen or via the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes. They came from the town of Warren, New York, which was named in honor of Major General Joseph Warren, killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Warren Township, formed in 1850, was also named after him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gurnee.il.us/history/history_warren_township.html|title=Gurnee History - Warren Township|publisher=The Village of Gurnee, IL|access-date=August 2, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070805092635/http://www.gurnee.il.us/history/history_warren_township.html|archive-date=August 5, 2007}}</ref> The first settlement of Warren Township commenced in 1835 in the vicinity of the Aux Plaines River (now the Des Plaines River).

In 1835–36, a land company from New York State erected a Community House (site of the old Gurnee Grade School) to accommodate families while they were locating and getting government land grants to their farms. Near the Community House, there was a ford used by the Potowatomi Indians for crossing the river. A floating log bridge was built in 1842. Later, both a wood and iron bridge were built.

With the erection of a permanent bridge, roads were established, and this area became the hub of the township. It was at this junction that the Milwaukee Road crossed the river from west to east, and then continued north to eventually connect Chicago to Milwaukee. This road was "laid out" in 1836 by three early settlers: Thomas McClure, Mark Noble, and Richard Steele. The east–west road, now known as Grand Avenue, was a main route from McHenry County to the port of Waukegan. Stage coaches ran on this route as late as 1870.

The hamlet was originally called "Wentworth", after Congressman "Long John" Wentworth, who also served as the Republican Mayor of Chicago between 1857 and 1863.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bio - John Wentworth|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000295}}</ref> Thereafter, Walter S. Gurnee, the 14th Mayor of Chicago and one of the directors of the railroad, agreed to develop a station in Wentworth, which was called "Gurnee Station" in his honor. Over time, Gurnee Station became known simply as "Gurnee" and was incorporated as such.

Just east of the bridge, at the junction of Milwaukee Road and Grand Avenue, was the Mutaw Tavern, earlier known as "Marm Rudd's Tavern" and more recently as the Mother Rudd House. This was a stage coach stop between Chicago and Milwaukee and was a stopover for farmers from the west traveling to Little Fort (now known as Waukegan) to barter their crops for supplies and to ship out from the ports. It also served as a stop during the Underground Railroad. This building was acquired by the Village of Gurnee in 1984, has been restored, and now houses the Warren Township Historical Society.

In May 2004, Gurnee received major rainfall, causing the worst flooding in 100 years. The flood forced several schools to close<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/violent-spring-floods-twisters/|title=Violent Spring|publisher=CBS News}}</ref> and caused building damage to dozens of homes and businesses.

==Geography== According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Gurnee has a total area of {{convert|13.59|sqmi|km2|2}}, of which {{convert|13.51|sqmi|km2|2}} (or 99.44%) is land and {{convert|0.08|sqmi|km2|2}} (or 0.56%) is water.<ref name="gaz2021">{{Cite web |author=US Census Bureau |title=Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |access-date=2022-06-29 |website=Census.gov}}</ref> It is located on the banks of the Des Plaines River and is split by Interstate 94, which divides the village into east (old) and west (new) sides.

==Demographics== {{US Census population |1930= 503 |1940= 661 |1950= 1097 |1960= 1831 |1970= 2738 |1980= 7179 |1990= 13701 |2000= 28834 |2010= 31295 |2020= 30706 |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/> | align = right }}

===Racial and ethnic composition=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |+'''Gurnee village, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition''' {{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}} !Race / Ethnicity (''NH = Non-Hispanic'') !Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Gurnee village, Illinois|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=1600000US1732018&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=United States Census Bureau |access-date= }}</ref> !Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Gurnee village, Illinois|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US1732018&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> !{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Gurnee village, Illinois|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US1732018&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> !% 2000 !% 2010 !{{partial|% 2020}} |- |White alone (NH) |22,705 |20,872 |style='background: #ffffe6; |17,463 |78.74% |66.69% |style='background: #ffffe6; |56.87% |- |Black or African American alone (NH) |1,442 |2,362 |style='background: #ffffe6; |2,643 |5.00% |7.55% |style='background: #ffffe6; |8.61% |- |Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) |39 |57 |style='background: #ffffe6; |40 |0.14% |0.18% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.13% |- |Asian alone (NH) |2,345 |3,601 |style='background: #ffffe6; |3,743 |8.13% |11.51% |style='background: #ffffe6; |12.19% |- |Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) |9 |14 |style='background: #ffffe6; |22 |0.03% |0.04% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.07% |- |Other race alone (NH) |54 |52 |style='background: #ffffe6; |189 |0.19% |0.17% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.62% |- |Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) |502 |672 |style='background: #ffffe6; |1,166 |1.74% |2.15% |style='background: #ffffe6; |3.80% |- |Hispanic or Latino (any race) |1,738 |3,665 |style='background: #ffffe6; |5,440 |6.03% |11.71% |style='background: #ffffe6; |17.72% |- |'''Total''' |'''28,834''' |'''31,295''' |style='background: #ffffe6; |'''30,706''' |'''100.00%''' |'''100.00%''' |style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%''' |}

===2020 census=== As of the 2020 census, Gurnee had a population of 30,706, with 11,900 households and 8,080 families.<ref name="Census2020DP">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dp?get=NAME%2CDP1_0021P%2CDP1_0024P%2CDP1_0025C%2CDP1_0049C%2CDP1_0045C%2CDP1_0069C%2CDP1_0073C%2CDP1_0125P%2CDP1_0126P%2CDP1_0129P%2CDP1_0133P%2CDP1_0137P%2CDP1_0138P%2CDP1_0139P%2CDP1_0141P%2CDP1_0142P%2CDP1_0143P%2CDP1_0145P%2CDP1_0146P%2CDP1_0147C%2CDP1_0148C%2CDP1_0149C%2CDP1_0156C%2CDP1_0157C%2CDP1_0158C%2CDP1_0159P%2CDP1_0160P&for=place%3A32018&in=state%3A17|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=April 26, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref><ref name="Census2020PL">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME%2CP1_001N%2CP1_003N%2CP1_004N%2CP1_005N%2CP1_006N%2CP1_007N%2CP1_008N%2CP1_009N%2CP2_001N%2CP2_002N%2CH1_001N%2CH1_002N&for=place%3A32018&in=state%3A17|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=April 26, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref><ref name="CensusProfile2020">{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1732018 |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

There were 12,386 housing units, of which 3.9% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.3%. The population density was {{Convert|2,260.29|PD/sqmi|PD/km2}}, and there were {{Convert|911.74|/sqmi|/km2}} housing units.<ref name="Census2020DP"/><ref name="CensusProfile2020"/>

The median age was 41.8 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 91.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.1 males age 18 and over.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

31.6% of households had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.5% were married-couple households, 14.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.25 and the average family size was 2.67.<ref name="Census2020DP"/><ref name="CensusProfile2020"/>

99.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.7% lived in rural areas.<ref name="Census2020DHC">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dhc?get=NAME%2CP2_002N%2CP2_003N&for=place%3A32018&in=state%3A17|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2023|access-date=April 26, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref>

===Income and poverty=== The median income for a household in the village was $100,892, and the median income for a family was $129,858. Males had a median income of $70,322 versus $44,004 for females. The per capita income for the village was $47,800. About 3.1% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over. ==Economy== ===Tourism=== [[File:Six Flags Great America 2024.jpg|thumb|Six Flags Great America transformed Gurnee into a regional tourist attraction following its 1976 opening.]] [[File:Great Wolf Lodge Gurnee.jpg|thumb|Great Wolf Lodge, an resort with an indoor water park, opened in 2007 as Key Lime Cove]] Gurnee has a tourism industry anchored by the Six Flags Great America and Hurricane Harbor Chicago amusement–water park complex, the Gurnee Mills mall and Great Wolf Lodge resort, in addition to other shopping and lodging. The village attracts around 23 million visitors annually.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Visitors |url=https://www.gurnee.il.us/visitors |access-date=August 25, 2022 |website=www.gurnee.il.us}}</ref>

The amusement park Six Flags Great America and its water park Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago are both major tourist attractions in Gurnee. The amusement park originally opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America, while the water park opened in 2005.<ref name=":18">{{Cite news |date=May 14, 1976 |title=Great America opens May 29 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109257060/great-america-opens-may-29/ |access-date=September 9, 2022 |work=Great Lakes Bulletin via Newspapers.com |pages=7}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=June 2, 2005 |title=Great America opens Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109641225/great-america-opens-six-flags-hurricane/ |access-date=September 16, 2022 |work=Southtown Star via Newspapers.com |pages=78}}</ref> 3 million visitors attended Great America in 2023, ranking it among the top 20 most visited amusement parks in North America.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Theme Index Amusement Index 2023 |url=https://aecom.com/wp-content/uploads/documents/reports/AECOM-Theme-Index-2023.pdf}}</ref> The parks have helped transform Gurnee from a rural town into a regional tourist attraction and are one of the largest revenue sources for the village.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newton |first=Jim |date=2018-08-30 |title=New Six Flags coaster could be a thrill for Gurnee economy as well as riders |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2018/08/30/new-six-flags-coaster-could-be-a-thrill-for-gurnee-economy-as-well-as-riders/ |access-date=2025-07-29 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":44">{{Cite web |last=McCoppin |first=Robert |date=2016-05-28 |title=40 years later, Six Flags Great America still thrilling crowds |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2016/05/28/40-years-later-six-flags-great-america-still-thrilling-crowds/ |access-date=2025-07-18 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>

Gurnee Mills has attracted between 15 million to 20 million visitors per year since its opening in 1991.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 11, 2022 |title=Gurnee Mills in Cook County, Illinois {{!}} Waldron Construction LLC |url=https://www.waldronconstructionllc.com/gurnee-mills-in-cook-county-illinois/ |access-date=December 23, 2022 |website=www.waldronconstructionllc.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>Gregory, Ted. [https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/illinois/arlington-heights/daily-herald-suburban-chicago/1991/08-09/page-334 "Mall mania in Lake County"], Daily Herald Suburban Chicago, August 9, 1991.</ref> The mall was advertised as the "world's largest outlet mall" upon its opening,<ref>Schmeltzer, John. [https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/05/24/growing-pains-for-gurnee-mills/ "Growing Pains For Gurnee Mills"], ''Chicago Tribune,'' May 24, 1992.</ref> and is the fourth largest mall in Illinois.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 23, 2014 |title=Gurnee Mills |url=https://www.malls.com/us/malls/gurnee-mills.html |access-date=December 23, 2022 |website=Malls.Com |language=en-us}}</ref> The {{Convert|30|acre|ha|adj=on}} Great Wolf Lodge is a major hotel resort and has an indoor waterpark, originally opening in 2007 as Key Lime Cove.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dave Anderson of Famous Dave's Barbecue Restaurant Chain Building a 611-room Resort with 80,000 sq ft Water Park North of Chicago in Gurnee; The KeyLime Cove Resort Expected to Cost $125 million / May 2006 |url=https://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2006_2nd/May06_Gurnee.html |access-date=December 23, 2022 |website=www.hotel-online.com}}</ref> It was sold to Great Wolf Resorts in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Great Wolf Lodge to take over, redevelop Key Lime Cove in Gurnee |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/ct-lns-gurnee-key-lime-great-wolf-st-0209-20170208-story.html |access-date=December 23, 2022 |website=Chicago Tribune|date=February 8, 2017 }}</ref>

===Top employers=== Gurnee no longer reports employer numbers {{As of|2025|lc=y}} for privacy reasons.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gurnee - ACFR 24 |url=https://www.gurnee.il.us/docs/default-source/finance/acfr/annual-comprehensive-financial-report-(acfr)-(april-2024).pdf?sfvrsn=165b45b1_1 |access-date=July 31, 2025 |website=gurnee.il.us}}</ref> According to Gurnee's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref name="cafr">{{cite web|url=https://www.gurnee.il.us/docs/default-source/cafr's/gurnee-cafr-0418.pdf?sfvrsn=4|title=Village of Gurnee 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report|website=gurnee.il.us|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref> the top employers in the village were:

{| class="wikitable" |- ! # ! Employer ! # of Employees |- | 1 | Six Flags Great America Hurricane Harbor Chicago | 3,315 |- | 2 | Woodland School District 50 | 832 |- | 3 | Warren Township High School | 484 |- | 4 | Nosco Inc. | 400 |- | 5 | Gurnee School District No. 56 | 390 |- | 6 | Great Wolf Lodge | 356 |- | 7 | Bass Pro Shops | 350 |- | 8 | Gurnee Park District | 330 |- | 9 | Village of Gurnee (full-time equivalent) | 233 |}

==Education== The majority of the eastern half of the village is served by Gurnee School District #56.<ref name=CensusSDMap2020>{{cite map|author=Geography Division|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st17_il/schooldistrict_maps/c17097_lake/DC20SD_C17097.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227081222/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st17_il/schooldistrict_maps/c17097_lake/DC20SD_C17097.pdf |archive-date=February 27, 2022 |url-status=live|title=2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Lake County, IL|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|place=Suitland, Maryland|date=December 22, 2020|pages=1-2, 4 (PDF pp. 2-3, 5/5)|accessdate=2026-05-28}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st17_il/schooldistrict_maps/c17097_lake/DC20SD_C17097_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref> Four schools make up District #56. They are:

* River Trail School (grades K-8) * Prairie Trail School (grades 3–5) * Spaulding School (grades PK-2) * Viking Middle School (grades 6–8)

The western section of Gurnee, along with portions of the village's east side is served by Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50.<ref name=CensusSDMap2020/> Woodland comprises: * Woodland Middle School (grades 6–8) * Woodland Intermediate School (grades 4–5) * Woodland Elementary School (grades 1–3) * Woodland Primary School (K)

The village is served by Warren Township High School District 121.<ref name=CensusSDMap2020/> This district operates Warren Township High School, which is made up of the O'Plaine Road Campus (freshmen and sophomores) and the Almond Road Campus (juniors and seniors).

There is a charter school, Prairie Crossing Charter School, which has grades K-8. It admits students from areas within school districts 50 and 79. It is not a Woodland District 50 school.) <ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-10-09 |title=FAQ - Prairie Crossing Charter School |url=https://prairiecrossingcharterschool.org/parents/faq/ |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=prairiecrossingcharterschool.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Library=== {{Main|Warren-Newport Public Library District}}

The Gurnee Public Library is located at 224 N. O'Plaine Road. The Warren-Newport Public Library offers a collection of over 270,000 books, hundreds of magazines, and over 37,000 CDs and DVDs, as well as programming for all ages designed to provide personal enrichment, education and entertainment. The library serves a population of 60,000 residents.

The Warren-Newport Public Library District began in 1971, when the Gurnee Women's Club began to look for a meaningful service which their club could offer the area. Opening day for the library came on January 10, 1973. The library opened its doors for 45 hours per week with 3,000 volumes. The library moved into its current location in 1978. In 1997, the library opened a $5.6 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=5600000|start_year=1997}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}), {{convert|31000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} addition.<ref name="gurneeil">{{cite web|url=http://www.gurnee.il.us/history/library|title=Gurnee History - Warren Newport Public Library|access-date=October 9, 2013|publisher=The Village of Gurnee|date=May 4, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726035545/http://www.gurnee.il.us/history/library|archive-date=July 26, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the fall of 2010, an $8.5 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=8500000|start_year=2010}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) construction project began, adding 4,500 square feet and renovating 28,000 square feet of the oldest parts of the building.

Lake County, Illinois communities that fall completely within the boundaries of the district are Gurnee, Illinois; Grandwood Park, Illinois; Park City, Illinois; and Wildwood, Illinois. Partially included in the district are the communities of Beach Park, Illinois; Grayslake, Illinois; Lake Villa, Illinois; Old Mill Creek, Illinois; Third Lake, Illinois; Wadsworth, Illinois; Waukegan, Illinois; and Millburn, Illinois.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wnpl.info/index.php/library-profile/ |title=Library Profile |publisher=Warren-Newport Public Library |access-date=October 9, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005054348/http://www.wnpl.info/index.php/library-profile/ |archive-date=October 5, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2004, the library was one of the early adopters of passive RFID (radio frequency identification) technology for the automation of item check-in (''News Sun'', September 28, 2004).

According to statistics gathered by the Library Research Center at the University of Illinois, the Warren-Newport Public Library is the second busiest library in Lake County, after the Cook Memorial Library in Libertyville. (''News Sun'', October 3, 2006).

According to its mission statement, the Warren Newport Public Library "provides the community with access to information, kindles the imagination of children and adults, and supports lifelong learning."

==Transportation== Interstate 94 (The Tri-State Tollway) is the main expressway servicing Gurnee, allowing easy access to Milwaukee and Chicago.

Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting Gurnee to downtown Waukegan, Grayslake and other destinations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rtachicago.org/uploads/files/general/RTA-System-Map.pdf|title=RTA System Map|access-date=January 30, 2024}}</ref>

The CPKC main line between Chicago and Minneapolis serves Gurnee.

==Drinking water supply== The Village of Gurnee water supply comes from the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency (CLCJAWA) located in Lake Bluff, IL. CLCJAWA purifies water from Lake Michigan.

==Government==

===Elected officials=== The village of Gurnee is a home rule municipality which functions under the council-manager form of government with a Village President and a six-member Board of Trustees, all of whom are elected to four-year terms. The Village President and three of the Trustees are elected every four years. The other group of three Trustees are also elected for four-year terms, but this election is staggered and takes place two years after the first group. As of 2025, the mayor is Thomas B. Hood.{{cn|date=October 2025}}

==Notable people== {{More citations needed section|date=October 2025}} * Kevin Anderson, actor * Larry Farmer, basketball coach * Max Floriani, soccer player<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 20, 2024 |title=Max Floriani Drafted Second Overall in MLS SuperDraft |url=https://atlantic10.com/news/2024/12/20/mens-soccer-max-floriani-drafted-second-overall-in-mls-superdraft.aspx |access-date=October 12, 2025 |website=Atlantic 10 Conference}}</ref> * Robbie Gould, football player * Tommie Harris, football player * Tank Johnson, football player * Allen James Lynch, United States Army recipient of the Medal of Honor for heroic actions during the Vietnam War<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Emil |last2=Philip |first2=Pate |title=Senate Resolution 116, 91st General Assembly |url=https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/legisnet91/srgroups/sr/910SR0116LV.html |date=May 7, 1995 |publisher=Illinois General Assembly |access-date=November 29, 2020}}</ref> * Muhsin Muhammad, football player * Brandon Paul, basketball player * Greg Rallo, hockey player * Mitchell Trubisky, football player * Tim Weigel, Chicago television broadcaster

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

==External links== {{commons category}} * [http://www.gurnee.il.us/ Village of Gurnee] {{Gurnee, Illinois}} {{Lake County, Illinois}} {{Chicagoland}} {{Illinois}} {{Authority control}} {{Geographic location |Center=Gurnee |Northwest=Grandwood Park |North=Wadsworth |Northeast=Zion |East=Waukegan |Southeast=North Chicago |South=Park City }}

Category:Gurnee, Illinois Category:Chicago metropolitan area Category:Villages in Lake County, Illinois Category:Populated places established in 1928 Category:Villages in Illinois